Egyptian tennis recaptured its supremacy in Africa after a 20-year drought. Nesmahar Sayed talked to the player who brought back the smiles For the past two decades, Egypt could not break the tennis dominance of North African rivals Morocco, Algeria and South Africa. This week, it did, thanks to Sherif Sabri who won the African championship for men to end the hiatus. It was the first time for Egypt to win the men's continental individual and double. Sabri, though seeded fourth, claimed the gold medal after defeating Moroccan Mahdi El-Zayadiy by winning two sets to one. Sabri also won the doubles with teammate Karim Ma'moun after defeating the Tunisian team composed of Malek Gazary and Haitham Ebeid. Sabri, who started playing tennis at age seven, trains four hours daily under the supervision of Karim Zaher, a former tennis player, in addition to two hours of physical fitness. He has participated in several tournaments starting in the Under- 12, then U-16 and U-18. Sabri will play in next month's national championships. The eight-day tournament, organised under the supervision of the African and International Federation of Tennis started on 9 November. It took place at the Moheit Club in Casablanca. Winning eight matches out of nine, Sabri described his achievement as big. The players were almost equal in terms of skills, something which gave him hope of winning. "I hope that one day I make it to the top 10 in the world, but this is very difficult," Sabri told Al-Ahram Weekly. "It needs financial and moral support that exceeds what is now available." Currently in his last year in the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, Sabri, 22, believes businessmen should sponsor skilled players by investing in their talent which may help. "One of the main things that may frustrate a player is the lack of media coverage which is directed foremost at football," Sabri said. Sabri has a valid point. Though Egyptian tennis was victorious in Morocco with three gold medals, and its players arrived in Cairo Airport at around the same time as the Ahli football squad, it was the soccer players who received the heroic welcome after winning the African Champions League in Cameroon. Perhaps Sabri and rising starts like him can change perceptions.
